Computer Arts Projects - Issue 49 / 2003
35 Essential Tips For Illustrators

Trying to get ahead in illustration? Today's tough climate demands insider-know-how. Get a head start on the pack by following these 33 top tips in easy-to-swallow, bite-size chunks…

Despite the wealth of talent in illustration today and a client base that appears keen to tap into the current zeitgeist, for some the road to creative heaven is paved with pitfalls. Whether you are just starting out in illustration or are hardened and battle-weary; here are the crucial, yet sometimes easily overlooked, tips to pull you through. From advice on capturing creative moments to maintaining minimal stress levels, from smart digital do's and don'ts to fee structures and copyright issues; it is all here. From 1 to 33, the top tips that will make the difference to how you tackle the minefield and mindset of life as a professional freelance illustrator.

Research and Development

1. Ideas, ideas and more ideas You are only as good as your next idea! This may seem harsh but it is vital to think creatively as well as draw creatively. Illustrators that stand the test of time are those that communicate through their work, that have an idea, a message, something to say.

2. Brain Food Get out more! Really, get away from your screen and check out what is going on in the real world. Switch off and walk away, make time for visiting exhibitions, galleries, museums, concerts, libraries, parties, talks, lectures, events; feed your brain!

3. Get it Down Get a notebook, a sketchbook and a digital camera. Use them. You will have thoughts and see stuff worth drawing and photographing and recording on a daily basis, on a good day an hourly basis. Get used to equipping yourself every time that you leave your house.

4. Investigate Your Subject Matter Illustrators often have to be experts on a range of subjects. If you are commissioned for the travel page of a magazine for a feature on airport security, you'll have to know the subject. A science magazine for a feature about robotics commissions you; you'll need to be an expert on that too. Read more!

5. Mouse Click Reference Library No time to get to the library? Can't get to the zoo to draw that chimp, can't set up a mini photo-shoot in the kitchen. Can't remember what colours make up the Cuban flag. Get to www.google.com and search using the image search feature. Invaluable but often-looked.

Getting Out There

6. Carry Out Getting your work in front of clients is paramount. Ensure that those that commission illustration see your work. Invest in as many suitable avenues as you can afford but start with a portfolio. An off-line portfolio first, you know the kind, the sort that have a handle.

7. Looking Good Prepare the presentation of your work as professionally as you can. Nobody sees good presentation, they all spot poor presentation though. Remember, every portfolio inspection/viewing by a client is a potential project/goldmine (with a little luck!).

8. Target Don't waste your time and others by being poorly informed. Make sure that you do your research before making contact with potential clients. Find out what kind of work they create, does yours fit? Could it fit? No, then keep well clear! Target the right audience.

9. Putting it about Get out and see as many book publishers, magazine publishers, design companies, advertising agencies, new media companies etc as you can. People like to put a face to name, use every meeting to get feedback about your work and as chance to pick up further contacts.

10. Portfolios galore! Create one than one portfolio. You can guarantee, unless you do, that a client will call your portfolio in whilst it is still with another. Nine times out of ten, they will wait until it can be retrieved, but occasionally on rush jobs there simply isn't the time and you could lose the job.

11. Be Aware Read the advertising and design press on a regular basis. You invest in Computer Arts and Computer Arts Projects but should also be picking up, or at least reading with a coffee in Borders, numerous global design mags. It really pays to know who is working for whom and on what projects.

The Commission Process

12. Getting to Grips When it comes to the commission, don't wing it! If you are unsure what is expected - ask questions. Find out what proportions, what size the final printed version is to be, the best format for the artwork, the deadline for visuals and final artwork. And, of course, the fee!

13. Plan, plan and plan some more. Give yourself enough time to research, contemplate and brainstorm prior to putting pencil to paper or mouse to screen. Think about the project outside of 'office hours', when in the bath, on your bike, wherever it works for you. Creativity can take time! Make sure that you build this in.

14. Get Creative Attempt to create more ideas that you could possibly use, pick the best and talk them through with your client. Be sure not to show ideas that you don't want to see through to artwork stage though, clients often pick the idea or approach that you see as the least successful!

15. Be Original Develop your own way of working, your own style or approach. Be aware of the work of other illustrators but don't rely on their vision. Ensure, if you have numerous ways of working, that your client understands which vision you see as appropriate to their project.

The Art of Self Promotion

16. Underestimate at your peril! Promoting one's work can be as vital as creating the work in the first place. Without some kind of self-promotional item it can impossible for a potential client to remember you or your work. Decide how to do and invest time, cash and energy into making it work.

17. Print or Screen Promo? Both! In this digital world, you need to promote yourself every-which way that you can. A web site without a card promoting it will get no hits, a card without a web site is just one sample of your work. Plan a strategy; build a site and then promote it with a fine-tuned mailing list.

18. Spam - Don't Do It! Simple, don't send unsolicited emails with attachments in, in an attempt to get people to view your work. Ask them first, if they would like to receive regular emails letting them know of updates to your site and give them the opportunity to de-register too.

19. Off-line and On-line Create an on-line digital portfolio and an off-line version that can be viewed in a browser straight from a CD. Think about building a slide show straight into an application such as the Apimac Slide Show available as shareware at http://www.apimac.com . Your end-users won't need the application as it runs itself.

Digital Do's and Don'ts

20. Go Faster Get broadband. It is now cheaper than ever and most of the UK is covered. You will need to receive reference materials/images via the web and send large artwork files via email or upload to your own and/or your clients' web sites. Dial-up is dead, discover the web as always on, as always fast and find out what the fuss has been out.

21. Buy Portable If you are considering a studio outside the home, and it can be a good idea, think about investing in portable kit. A powerful laptop hooked up to a big flat screen monitor and keyboard gives you flexibility, you can take it home for those late or all night sessions. Scanners and colour digital printers are as cheap as chips nowadays, duplicate your set-up.

22. Get into Data Entry Invest in a good database application and keep your client, invoice and job records bang up to date. Mail-merge and create address labels for self-promo mail-outs. Make a regular habit of updating new information, being organised right from the start makes good business sense.

23. Buy in some help If you have no time to create your own database of potential clients, buy some expertise in. Go to www.filefx.co.uk and purchase their regularly up-dated lists of who's who in the creative industries. Choose to have lists supplied on disk and import into your database, easy!

24. Back up Buy an external hard drive and back up on a regular basis. Archive all of your work onto CDs or DVDs. Do it twice. Keep one set at home and one set at your studio. The chances of a fire wiping one set are rare but two sets in different locations, near impossible. Your work takes time to create, seconds to lose.

25. Don't Sit Still Technology advances relentlessly, budget for this. The hardware and software that you purchase right now will become dated pretty quickly. Recognise that you'll need to upgrade on a regular basis. If you can get by for two years on today's kit and software versions, you are doing very well!

Studio Set Up

26. Be Routine Working for yourself means being self-disciplined, especially if your studio is at home. Do arrive at your desk at the same time every day, open your post, check your emails, work out a schedule for the day and work regular hours. Don't switch on day-time TV, wander around in your pajamas and stop every few minutes to stick the kettle on!

27. Eye Maintenance Look after your eyes. You need them. Take regular breaks and use the time to rest your eyes. Staring at a screen for hours on end will do them no good and it is no accident that you have a headache at the end of each day. Get into the habit of focusing on things further away at regular points, look out of the window!

28. Smart Working As well as looking after your eyes, make sure that your desktop is set up correctly, your real world desktop, not the virtual one. Ensure that screen is correct height and angle, make sure that you have a seat that is the correct height too and is supportive too and that your arms are at the correct angle to use your keyboard.

29. Invoice It Start with good habits and keep them up. Invoice for work as soon as it has been completed, delivered and signed off. Your clients will take some time to pay you; some time can vary from one to three months! Invoice asap and avoid nasty cash-flow problems.

30. Get Help! Self-assessment has meant that dealing with the Inland Revenue has become easier although for some it can still be minefield. Speak to and appoint an accountant, good and early. The time, money and stress that they can save you will be worth every penny of their fees.

In The Know

31. Copyright Issues When you are commissioned you are normally paid for the rights to use the image that you have created. As the originator of the artwork you retain ownership of the artwork itself as well as the copyright. If the client wishes to use the image wherever and whenever they like, it may be worthwhile to sell the copyright. Know your rights!

32. Fees Fees traditionally are the trickiest area for illustrators. Get the fee sorted before you start the job, it will pay later if any potential confusion is sorted out way before you get cracking. Most agents demand that clients complete purchase orders before the project is started, as protection for their illustrators; do the same!

33. Rejection Fees It can happen, jobs go wrong for a variety of reasons. Be sure that your client understands that a job rejected at visuals stage can be charged at 25% of the full fee and jobs cancelled at final stage, through no fault of yours, can be charged at the full rate. Be prepared to negotiate though, it may be worth keeping the client!

34. Get Chasing Don't wait for the phone to ring, get on the case and get out there. Keep your eyes open for opportunities for illustrators, look for new publications; they appear all the time, look for advertising campaigns that are using illustration and approach the agency that commissioned it. Get chasing every lead.

35. Get Organised Find out what is going on in illustration, look at joining The Association of Illustrators, www.theaoi.com, as a sure fire way of getting impartial advice about fees and support and info about industry practice as well as invitations to portfolio surgeries, lectures and conferences.

© Lawrence Zeegen